


Ashes of Eden

by teamcalebmalphas



Category: chronicles of nick
Genre: I'm Sorry, M/M, So beware, but it's barely anything, quick thought of suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-20
Updated: 2016-06-20
Packaged: 2018-07-16 03:21:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7249951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teamcalebmalphas/pseuds/teamcalebmalphas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>From a prompt list that someone requested. "Hi characters and fic prompts, I'm going CoN. Xev, Nick and Caleb. 5. Or 36. Dealers choice, both could be interesting." (5. There's blood on your/my hands. 36. "Everything was fine until you showed up.") The original plan was for a monopoly game night where Xev, Caleb and Nick were all friends. Caleb normally smoked Nick at monopoly but Xev ends up crushing both of them and Caleb was going to shout "EVERYTHING WAS FINE UNTIL YOU SHOWED UP!" But then this idea came to me and I thought, why do that when I can break people's hearts?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ashes of Eden

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from a song. Ashes of Eden by Breaking Benjamin. A song that really makes me think of Caleb tbh.

The sound of his feet slapping against the ground echoed with his distress. He couldn’t believe this was happening again. Not like this. This was all too familiar and all too similar to the first time. He feared the reaction this news would invoke. If it was anything like the first time this happened, it would be catastrophic.

Bursting through the door, his gaze instantly landed on the being who was to receive his news. Standing at a good six-foot-four-inches, he was in his human form looking over battle plans at a large table in the center of the room. His dark brown eyes met the messenger who was sizing up the swords strapped at his back. Caleb Malphas was dressed like an ancient Roman commander with his helmet, breastplate, and cloak on the floor in the far corner of the room.

Caleb squinted at the boy practically sweating from anxiety. “What is it?”

“I came as fast as I could.” The boy said quickly. “The Malachai—”

He was cut off by the harsh grip of the demon now in his face. “Where?” He snarled.

“St-Still on the f-field.” The boy stuttered. “I was sent immediately by Daraxerxes.”

That name triggered Caleb’s eyes to flare to their yellow serpentine form before he became a raven and flew out the open window. Using his powers, he searched for his Malachai. At first there was nothing and that terrified him beyond measure. Then he felt it. Nick was using his summing name.

Caleb flew faster than he’d even flown before, eyes scanning the army ground below. If there was one thing he was sure of right now, it was that Xevikan would’ve brought Nick to their side before the enemy could finish the job. But that was about it. For all he knew, Xevikan was the one who led the enemy right to Nick. Or worse…led Nick right to the enemy.

His anger ignited at the thought and seeing Xevikan with the audacity to kneel over Nick’s body didn’t quell his emotions. When he was close enough to trust that he wouldn’t break any bones, he transformed back into human form. He hit the ground running, falling to his knees in a perfectly executed slide at Nick’s side, opposite of Xevikan.

“Get away from him!” Caleb growled, shoving Xevikan away.

Caleb guided Nick’s head onto his lap, gently brushing his fingers through the soft brown strands of hair. Nick groaned and opened his eyes. Caleb’s heart skipped as blue irises met his brown ones. He scanned his love’s body for any wounds, finding several, and while several spots of red on his skin were clearly from blood, it was obvious that his Malachai form was deteriorating, the final stages being his complexion slowly returning to its normal state. Tears edged Caleb’s vision while he determined which wound needed attention first, ripping his battle armor away from his body and pressing his hands to the injury.

Nick reached up and held his wrists, his grip weak and bloody. “Caleb, it’s too late.”

“No!” Caleb snapped. He was angry at Xev and angry at the world and the universe and fate and every other goddamned bastard who allowed this to happen. He was in a pain so severe it shattered all of life itself. He was depressed because this wasn’t supposed to happen again. History only repeated in massive events, not insignificant events like his life. This was not supposed to happen again, and certainly not to him. Nick had defied the odds, defied everyone who ever told him—Caleb included—that he was going to end up the darkest demon ever spawned. Nick Gautier had only done good things in his life. He protected those who he loved and cared for. Helped those in need of it.

So why the _fuck_ did the universe or whoever choose _him_ for this to happen to?

“No,” Caleb said again, weakly. “No, it can’t be too late. There’s still a chance to save your life.”

Nick shook his head, hands sliding down to hold Caleb’s hands. “I was stabbed by the only weapon that can possibly kill me.”

Caleb almost lost it completely. He didn’t have the words. His body felt numb. His entire _existence_ felt numb. He tightened his grip on Nick’s hands, both now soaked with the Malachai’s blood. “I’m so sorry.”

“Caleb, don’t be sorry.” Nick’s voice was a hoarse whisper. “There was nothing you could do to prevent this.”

“I could have been there.” Tears fell from Caleb’s eyes.

Nick lifted one hand to the back of Caleb’s neck, bringing his boyfriend to him, pressing their lips together in a soft dance. The world seemed to freeze in the short time frame but when they parted, Caleb was the first to speak, announcing something to his whole world that he hadn’t said in a long time.

“I love you.”

It was Nick’s turn to cry, smiling as the tears rose and fell. “I love you too, Caleb Malphas.”

“You made me realize that I wasn’t such a lost cause after all. You chipped away at my walls even when you didn’t know you were doing it. Nick Gautier, you’ve always been there for me and I can’t even begin to fathom what I would be right now without you. I love you. I love you and I’m in love with you and don’t leave me Nick. Please.”

“For a demon who was never up for sharing, you sure have a way with words.” Nick commented, feeling his life slipping away swiftly. He grunted as he shifted himself to a higher position on Caleb’s lap. “I don’t know what I would have done without you in my life, Cay. I love you and I’ll love you into my next life and the one after that. I’ll see you in my next life. I will wait for you, I promise.”

Caleb kissed him hard on the mouth, their lips moving with one another so perfectly it was a testament to their understanding of one another. He was desperate and that desperation seeped into the kiss. When he pulled away, there was nothing left of Nick in his blue eyes.

A sorrowful howl split the air around him as he squeezed Nick’s body to his chest, face falling into the crook of his neck. Caleb inhaled and the howl diminished to a cry of pain. His tears were scorching sliding down his cheeks and dripping onto Nick’s body. He placed one last kiss to Nick’s forehead, lowering him to the ground, yet always leaving one hand touching him.

“I can help take him back to your tent.” Xev offered in a delicate voice, knowing that Caleb was in a fragile state.

Caleb lifted his gaze to Xevikan, his attention burning into his half-brother. “Don’t. Touch. Him. I don’t want you anywhere near him.”

“Malphas, this wasn’t my fault—”

“ _Everything was fine until you showed up!_ ” He roared at Xev. “If you had just _left_ after Nick freed you from your fucking cage—I tried to warn him about you, Xevikan Daraxerxes, but he was adamant that you were different. Now he’s fucking dead while you get to walk around with more days than you fucking deserve. All the lives lost because of you. How do you live with yourself?”

Xev didn’t meet his eyes. “There’s blood on both of our hands, Caleb—”

“Don’t use that name.” Caleb said through clenched teeth.

“Fine. But my point still stands. Don’t blame me for my crimes as if you don’t have the same ones. I tried to save him and I failed.”

“And he’d probably be alive if you hadn’t intervened.” Caleb spit out.

Xev sighed. “I’m going to leave you to grieve. I’ll be with Aeron if you need me.”

“Trust me,” Caleb said as Xev rose. “I won’t.”

His brother walked away without another word. Caleb lifted Nick up, one arm under his legs the other on his back. He walked the body of Nick Gautier to a private spot far away from anyone. He searched for as much wood as possible and built a small pyre. There was nothing inside of him. All he felt was empty. He fell in love, and fell hard, and his love was taken from him with nothing to save him. Why did he try? It was a repeat offense on his life.

Caleb Malphas just wasn’t meant to be happy.

Pyre completed with Nick’s body on top, Caleb placed a final kiss to his boyfriend’s forehead.

“I love you, Nicholas Ambrosius Aloysius Gautier.” He whispered. “Wait for me.”

Caleb stepped back and used his powers to create a fireball around his fist that he threw at the wood of the pyre. It instantly caught fire and consumed the wooden structure and Nick. A part of Caleb, a strong part, wanted simply to crawl up there and lie beside his love in the flame. But a different fire consumed him. One that hungered for vengeance of everyone that allowed this to happen.


End file.
